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Banana snack industry goes stale

Not so long ago, the Central Java town of Majenang was famous for being the home of sale pisang, a unique snack made with bananas, but recently the market changed and the local snack industry faded to a fraction of its former success. Majenang, one of 23 districts in Cilacap regency in the far west of the province - bordering with Banjar and Ciamis regencies in West Java - has about 30 small factories producing the snack. Before the 1998 economic crisis, there were around 100 such producers, leading Cilacap administration to come up with the idea of making the snack the icon of Majenang. But with the crisis, the plan hit snags and many cottage industries were forced out of business. More than a decade later, the situation has yet to improve. "Before the crisis I could sell 2 or 3 tons of fried banana sweets to Jakarta. But things are difficult now," Yayat, a 61-year-old sale pisang business owner, told The Jakarta Post in Majenang. Today, Yayat produces only about 200 kilograms of sale pisang a month, and 99 percent of this is sold in Majenang. The snacks are sold in 250-gram packages, each costing around Rp 25,000 (US$2). Another snack producer, Juremi, said that before the crisis she could send 2 tons of sale pisang to Jakarta, Bandung and Surabaya each month. "Now we only sell sale pisang for the local market," the 60-year-old said. Juremi said most of the snack producers were struggling to survive. "What's important is that business survives. If there are buyers in the city, that's enough. Sometimes we get an order from outside the city, but this is unreliable," she said. "Once, a distributor from outside the city wanted to place an order, but the price he offered was too low to cover our production costs. Rather than suffering losses, we preferred not to take it." Making sale pisang does not take long. Ripe bananas are cut into slices and dried in the sun. "If the sun is bright, the bananas will dry out in two days. But in a rainy season like this, it takes about four days," Juremi said. The dried bananas are then smeared with flour and deep-fried. After being drained, the banana chips are ready to be packaged and sold. The sale pisang business has supported many, including farmers and traders who sell raw bananas to cottage industries in Majenang, as well as banana snack makers such as Juremi and Yayat, and the vendors. Majenang district head, Heru Susedyo, said he was aware of the stagnant business situation. "Sale pisang was once so popular that the Cilacap administration planned to make it the icon of Majenang city, but the plan could not be realized because sales keep decreasing." http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/03/06/

Monday 1 December 2008

cartoon banana

Let's face it, costs for medical treatments and medications are skyrocketing, and it seems unlikely that it will soon spiral down. Whatever ailment or condition you have it seems that you will be burning a hole in your pocket just to find a remedy. Thankfully though, one can count on Mother Nature's natural healing abilities and use natural treatment to find a cure or remedy for your condition, and this goes for genital warts as well. There are many items that can be found right in your home that can be used as genital warts natural treatment. If left untreated, genital warts can mushroom and take on a cauliflower-like shape, and can be quite icky and disgusting to look at. If you are sexually active, then you may become a prime candidate for genital warts. No amount of condom or contraceptives can help you out. But luckily, this is a treatable condition. Natural treatments or homeopathic remedies are currently all the rave today as they are well known for their healing abilities without the nasty side effects. Plus, they can be a whole lot cheaper than the medications, whether it is prescribed or over the counter. Another factor which influences some people in using genital warts natural treatment is that it can be quite embarrassing to have it checked upon. With genital warts natural treatment, you will be able to get rid of your genital warts in the privacy of your own home. Here are some ways that you will be able to use the natural healing abilities of some items that can be easily bought or found in your own home: • With a cotton ball, rub and spread apple cider vinegar on the area affected twice a day until the warts are gone. • Tea tree oil can also be used as an application to be done once daily. Continue application until the warts are dissolved. • Another effective application would be hydrogen peroxide which would be needed to be applied 5 to 6 times daily. Tea tree oil is an essential oil that has anti bacterial and anti viral properties. • A compress of garlic and vitamin E could be applied and left taped on the area to make the warts disappear. This compress would make the warts fall off in time. • Skin side down of a banana peel taped on the affected area will also give the same effect. Goldenseal is very effective in treating viral infections because of its antibiotic properties. Some herbs like Echinacea, astragalus, garlic powder, and vitamins also help to boost the immune system. These are effective treatments for genital warts. Echinacea helps boost your immune system while astragalus has been used by the ancient Chinese for thousands of years against bacterial and viral infections. You can also take natural supplements like calendula, lomatium, wintergreen, houseleek, thuja, mulletin, and cheilidonium. Correct lifestyle and proper diet also plays an important role in genital warts natural treatment. It would be wise to abstain from sexual activities so that you can't infect other people. Also, avoid too much stress and try to consult a dietician for an effective diet plan. You must eat the right
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